Fact-Checking Parks & Rec � The Quick and the Ed

Fact-Checking Parks & Rec � The Quick and the Ed

Fact-Checking Parks & Rec

by Kevin Carey

In the penultimate episode of Parks and Recreation, Rob Lowe plays a manager from the Indiana State Budget Office who arrives to solve the financial problems of Pawnee. From 1999 to 2001 I actually had exactly this job, and so I feel compelled to set the record straight. A few points of clarification:
1) No auditors work for the Indiana State Budget Agency (not Office). The State Budget Agency is responsible for financial analysis and management of state agencies. It’s the equivalent of the federal Office of Management and Budget, an agency that allows the elected governor to exert authority over the state bureaucracy by controlling the allocation, use, and movement of money.
2) One might logically conclude that Rob Lowe’s character should therefore have come from the State Auditor’s office. Wrong! The State Auditor, an elected official as required by the Indiana Constitution, doesn’t audit either. He’s essentially the State Bookkeeper, who maintains the chart of accounts and writes checks. More sensible